For some reason the first of July marked my official countdown/freak out to WEIGHT. While preparation has been underway since the day I found out I was accepted into The Strawberry One-Act Festival I now have this panic feeling of how can I fit more hours in a day between working full-time and rehearsing.
Yes, the life of an artist seems to always be that constant battle between our full-time jobs and our full-time dreams.
WEIGHT has been a gift in my life, its acceptance into Strawberry One-Act Festival has been a blessing, and its journey to the stage has been oh so rewarding. When I began this acting /writing journey I remember saying to my mother. “I just wish I knew that all of my sacrifices would pay off someday” and she simply answered, “but if you knew the ending, the journey would not be as rewarding…enjoy the journey Kerri.” So that is what I am doing….
When I wrote the first draft of WEIGHT I asked my amazingly talented and beautiful friend Larissa, “Hey, do you mind reading this?” I never once mentioned that I wrote it. As Larissa read I watched her facial expressions, hoping they would give a glimpse into her thoughts. After she finished she pushed the script away and asked, “Did you write this? And if you did, can I direct it?” See that is how Larissa and I work. We feed off each other’s creativity, and the product is indescribable. Maybe Larissa was my best gift from Grad School, in addition to my immense growth as an actress.
Our rehearsals thus far have been amazing. Table reading and improving has given way to fleshed out characters. As the writer and an actor in WEIGHT, I now fully understand where the writing stops and the acting starts. It is kind of a mind trip at times. “No this is not how I intended the line, but it feels so right.” The actor inside me started winning when I threw away the lines I created and lived in the moment as the character I had formed. I felt her struggles, I felt her joy, and I felt her simple everyday life. I discovered parts of her that I, a fairly new writer had failed to understand during the conception of WEIGHT. There is the growth; there is the beauty of art.
I am almost positive that I will always be an actor/writer. My actor self often helps lead to my writer creations, and to be perfectly honest it works for me and I would not have it any other way.
Our next rehearsal is Wednesday and we begin the task of blocking and are “supposed to be” off book. I need to work on memorizing my lines!! So I should say goodbye for now. I never thought memorizing lines I created would be just as difficult as memorizing other playwright’s lines. Yep, not one of my acting strengths, although I do find comfort in knowing if I drop a line I only have myself to answer to.
Kerri Campbell Evans/Playwright of WEIGHT
See WEIGHT in the Strawberry One-Act Festival on Saturday, July 30th at 7pm
At the Hudson Guild Theatre, 441 West 26th Street, NYC, between 9th & 10th Avenue.
For tickets go to www.theriantheatre.com
Or call 646-623-3488
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